By Georgie Bright Kunkel

It is called modern technology but if you came into my office you would view a jumble of wires of all sizes and colors. Several blinking lights can be observed and if they are all lit then I know everything is working. And my techie daughter set me up with a laptop so I could move it to the kitchen when I was cooking. Yes, I would rather write than cook so my several trips to my office during a cooking episode often resulted in many a burned cooking pot.

Several years ago my husband and I marketed a special brand of cookware. You know the system. You buy a set and then you get a special rate if you sell this cookware to all your friends and relatives. Now you and all your friends have a set of four pots, two frying pans, a double boiler and a strainer, —all of wonderful stainless steel. And I must say that the ware would have held up without having been burned black so many times if I had been a reliable cook, tending to the meal rather than escaping into my office before the meal had been removed from the stove.

As for the laptop computer. I could not tolerate the strange keyboard or mouse. So in my style of making everything work for me I attached my old mouse and keyboard. Now I have five cords attached to the laptop and am not about to unhook them to move the darned keyboard into the kitchen and then try and figure out where all the cords go after moving it back. Oh yes, I had visions of taking this laptop on trips but after closing my eyes and envisioning all that toting in and out of motels and worrying about its safety I gave that up.

Recently, as you may remember, I broke my leg and that gave me the time to notice my messy office. I now am working in an office with two dumpsters less paper storage. If only I could have dumped the myriad of wires that proliferate all over my office area. I even have an old computer tower that I can’t get rid of until my techie offspring have removed my personal files. Then there is a pile of cords that no one knows what to do with.

The monthly bills from my internet and telephone company are twice as high as my writing income per month. Maybe it is time to go without caller ID and such. And my emails from friends have diminished since everyone chooses to have their personal correspondence managed by a corporation that makes big bucks from Facebook and Twitter without even being taxed. I must admit that I am on Facebook but since I don’t go there often I get emails that I have messages. And what are the messages? “Like.” I prefer email conversation from friends who can really get deep into a subject. If I do venture onto Facebook I must wade through numerous cryptic messages, pictures of foods with recipes, even messages from agencies and companies that I do not consider my friends.

Fortunately I still have one friend who emails me every night. She goes to bed late and I get up in the night at least once so we meet on line daily. No matter how many ways there are to make connections with friends and relatives there is nothing like personal contact. I am looking forward to a family get together at my house so I can see my latest great grandchild for the first time. Hurray for new babies who haven’t
been corrupted yet. If I coo at her I know she will coo back at me. She can’t text message as yet. Life is good.

Georgie Bright Kunkel is a freelance writer who can be reached at gnkunkel@comcast.net or 206-935-8663.